Songs AMC's PREACHER Hasn't Used Yet - But Should

By Bill Sweeney
Host of Preacher Vs Preacher

Preacher is the kind of show that isn't afraid of much. If you're at all familiar with it, you're aware that it likes to push the boundaries as well as your buttons. We could get all into that stuff (y'know, the sacrilegious story lines, the perverted proclivities, or the humanization of Hitler) but instead we're going to focus on something else the show isn't afraid of...

Musical diversity.

The show loves music and the proof lies everywhere. From the opening scene, where the AMC series uses the same Willie Nelson song as the comic book source material to kick things off, and past the season two premier where "Come On Eileen" becomes the centerpiece of a Car Chase Karaoke sing-a-long as they flee the law like some demented version of Bo, Luke and Daisy. Music is a vital part of this world, so much so that the fact that God really digs Jazz is a substantial plot point. One of the shows favorite things to do is to use music for good ol' comedic juxtaposition. Whereas most shows tag a melancholy ditty to the last ten minutes of an episode to wring out as much emotion as possible from a third act "Look At Us, We're Being, Like, Deep" montage - at least when Preacher does it, the ironic humor is so dark, and the music so morbidly downbeat, it just brings the melodrama to heights that you can't possibly take serious.

But not the fight scenes, the fights are very serious. But hey, That's Life.

All that said, I got to thinking about what other songs would work on this show, and the answer was just about any song! Sure, season one had a lot of country and southern twang, but it took plenty of turns and season two has been branching out a bit more. So, realizing that I could easily end up in a rabbit hole of chasing YouTube recommendations, I limited myself to just three but then immediately recruited the rest of the PVP team and a couple show friends.

Everyone gave three suggestions and I picked one from each to spotlight as the best fit or "most likely" to be used:

From Agent Palmer
Our buddy, frequent PVP guest (and occasional Remote-Assistant-Producer) Palmer couldn't pass up on The Toadies big hit Possum Kingdom. Maybe it's that "So help me, Jesus" refrain, maybe it's that pop legend that the song is about vampires, or maybe it's just that the sound kinda fits. His second choice, by Sponge - Plowed ("Say a prayer for me..."), has some relate-able lyrics ("In a world of human wreckage") but it's that classic Let's Get Crazy anthem Andrew W.K. known as Party Hard that just feels like a montage track for the trio in bar fight, or hell just some Cassidy brand shenanigans:

 

From Sara Netzley
Sara is a consummate professional, so the fact that she hangs out with us on PVP must be her only flaw. We'll forgive her for it. She wisely points us to the band Cake, noting that their music sort of fits the show's mood and that the track Rock and Roll Lifestyle would likely work. "It's upbeat but asshole-ish at the same time." Her second selection reflects those comedic juxtapositions mentioned earlier, offering "Air Supply used hilariously and ironically over a lovelorn Cassidy montage. Picture him moping to All Out of Love." For me though, it's when Sara mentioned The Cramps' "All Women Are Bad" for a scene with Tulip misbehaving or just being badass, that I knew we'd found the perfect match:



From Bob
It's kind of a shock they haven't used Bob's first pick yet, Son Of A Preacher Man by Dusty Springfield. It's got a certain pop familiarity for people and would feel quite aligned with this Tarantino-esque world. His second offering comes from thrash band Testament, a 400 mph track called The Preacher that needs to be heard if only for the high pitched screams. I'm going to give the spotlight to his selection of Megadeth's "The World Needs A Hero" because it's got a great, rolling, drum heavy trough line cut up by a nasty little guitar chugg. I just see that purple Chevelle tearing up the road:


Tyson from @Preacher_On_AMC
From perhaps the most active Preacher fan account on Twitter comes a track that feels like it should have already been used, "I put a spell on you". Tyson points out that this works best for actress @JulieannEmery, provided she gets to sing as Featherstone again. So, yes, the Nina Simone version it is then! On the screwball comedy side of things, "I touch Myself" By The Divinyls would probably work very well for Herr Starr. Tysons best match, and admittedly "super obvious", comes from Rick Springfield and is a track we can only assume the creators of the show are saving for a later date:

From Bill (That's MEEEEEE!)
Hiding All Away is a slow burn of a groove from Nick Cave And The Bad seeds that just turns epic as it explodes in the last minute or so. The chorus "There is a war comin'" just feels right. Eventually these characters are supposed to end up in my neck of the woods, NYC, so what better song to blast when they cross into the state line than AC/DC's "Safe In New York City"! But the one I think fits best is a cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" by The Morlocks. It's kind of a deep cut but it's smooth as mooshine on ice. Dig it, baby:

 

From Dom
Another PVP co-host, Dom imagines a blood-soaked adaption of that badass scene from the comic where the Saint of Killers rolls into Masada and murders just about everyone in that place all set to Clint Eastwood by Gorillaz. The more you listen and picture it, the more brilliant the idea becomes. His second pick is Wu Tang Clan's Bring Da Ruckus "Used in a chase and/or fight scene in NYC involving Jesse and Cassidy against like 25 guys, because hey, Cass probably spent some time in the 90s around the hip/hop scene and personally knows every member of the Wu Tang Clan"
The one I think should get the spotlight is Loose Change from Royal Blood. Dom suggests another fight scene,for this one, but Jesse and Tulip this time, and that after they win, maybe it turns into a steamy moment between the two of them in a public place.

Hey, if you dug this, you might dig Key Of  Q: Songs Quentin Tarantino Hasn't Used Yet

Preacher Vs Preacher: A Comparison Companion Podcast Starts Here!

We've started another show:


WickedTheory.com presents Preacher Vs Preacher: A Comparison Companion! A podcast that not only recaps episodes of AMC's series Preacher, but also compares it directly to it's source material, the 1990's comic book series of the same name created by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon and published by Vertigo Comics.

It's our little show dedicated to breaking down AMC's new series Preacher and comparing it to the comic book it's based on. In our first installment we introduce ourselves, explain what this pod will be, how much we love this story and then tell you what it's REALLY about. We also try to not give away too much - yet -  because we'd like you to go get the books, read them, and then in May you can dissect right along with us! Listen below!

Reach the show on twitter: @PreachVsPreach or via e-mail: PVP@wickedtheory.com

WTPC Ep. 18 - Comics Cavalcade 2

Our rundown of current comics returns!

• But first Bill forgets to introduce Dom And Bob, as they set up a no-cursing game - how long will Bill go without dropping a F-bomb? 
• Then, E-mail failure! 
• Up next, news: Preacher, Flash, and Jessica Jones! 
• Then we talk about the comic books we've been reading: Letter 44, Batman, Outcast, Star Wars: Shattered Empire, Headloper, Starve, Savior, Suiciders, Bitch Planet, Injection, and more! And we tease The Paybacks! 
• We close by asking you for help with a mascot?

Regular listener? We want to hear from you! Reach out! Email us! Podcast@wickedtheory.com

Confession Of A Childhood Comic Book Shoplifter

By Bill Sweeney

Gather 'round kids, and come with me now as I relive a small and embarrassing chapter of my life I should probably just leave forgotten. A tale of friendship, greed and stupidity, but mostly greed. A tale from a weird, bygone era known as "the mid-eighties", long before the over-proliferation of security cameras we have today, it's the story of when I turned into a bit of a shoplifter.

I was in the sixth grade when a few friends who lived outside my immediate neighborhood and myself got real bored one afternoon and somebody said "let's go down to the Plaza and steal some action figures." Wasn't my idea because I'd never done that, but they sure had because instantly they all latched onto the plan. Action figures and toys were kind of fading out of interest for me, but these were my nerdier, geekier friends so it didn't really seem odd as far as that goes (these are the same kids who I would end up playing Dungeons and Dragons with for the first time, if that helps paint the picture). But the stealing aspect, that was new. Quickly though, any real thought about it was dismissed by their confidence from having done it before. And it turns out they had a different approach then I had envisioned once we got inside the 5 And Dime store.

They just ripped the figure out of the package, grabbed the little accessories, and then just tossed the cardboard and plastic back on a shelf...

You Know They Used To Burn Comic Books, Right?

In a period of America’s history when fear and paranoia spread easily, there was an outcry for an explanation for the rise in “troubled” children. Truancy, gang activity and many other forms of Juvenile Delinquency, were “rampant” and parents were starved and desperate for answers.

Then, in 1954, along came a book called SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT that fanned these flames, finding the fault and blame in the pages of Comic Books. It was written by a psychiatrist, Dr. Fredric Wertham, it had to be true, right?

Congressional hearings were held. Book burnings were held.



Public opinion on the art form dived and comics quickly became the scourge responsible for bad kids everywhere. Eventually, this would give way to the Comics Code Authority, a precursor to the self-censoring that found it’s way into movies, music and video games.

These events, destroyed the lives and careers of many writers, artists, publishers and nearly destroyed an industry and an American art form.

While the findings in the book have been suspect for many years, new evidence has come to show that Wertham consistently LIED, COVERED UP and MISREPRESENTED the truth.

University of Illinois assistant professor Carol L. Tilley has taken a closer look at Wertham’s files and research and has found many inconsistencies. The Illinois News Bureau reports about her findings:

 
“For example, in “Seduction,” Wertham links “Batman” comic books to the case of a 13-year-old boy on probation and receiving counseling for sexual abuse of another boy: “Like many other homo-erotically inclined children, he was a special devotee of Batman: ‘Sometimes I read them over and over again. … It could be that Batman did something with Robin like I did with the younger boy.’ ”

What Tilley found in Wertham’s notes, however, was that the boy preferred “Superman,” “Crime Does Not Pay” and “war comics” over “Batman,” and that he had previously been sexually assaulted by the other boy – all information that Wertham left out.”

Much more:

Bleedingcool.com has a brief overview here.

READ The Illinois News Bureau full article here.